Proverbs 14 – 15

As with most chapters in Proverbs we will rapid fire a bunch of these. Verse 14:8 talks about the importance of wisdom:

It takes wisdom for the clever to understand the path they are on,
    but the fool is deceived by his own foolishness.

How often do we look back and wonder why we did something? People who have cheated on their wives are the most common group where everything looked rosy on the other side until they realize what they lost. We need to carefully look at every direction we take and ensure we are following God’s  path in our lives.

Verse 14:15 talks about believing everything you hear:

The gullible believe anything they are told,
    but clever people know to question every step.

Facebook is the place where we talk about current events. Recently we saw WWF wrestler “The Undertaker” died, on the surface it was sad and ironic until you read the article. His girl found him dead, shook him, yelled at him and hit him with a folding chair with no success at revival. Alas, The Undertaker is not dead and we were spoofed into a cheesy promo. We need to challenge everything, including what we read and what is preached in the Bible. When we question everything we find we learn the truth better.

Verse 15:1 is a famous Proverb that is often used in fortune cookies:

A tender answer turns away rage,
    but a prickly reply spikes anger.

We need to carefully consider what we say when responding to others. Often the first response is not always the best. James 1:19 told us to be “slow to speak” meaning think before giving your opinion. We find most times your initial response is based on a misunderstanding of the actual circumstances. So be try to respond with a well though response.

Verse 15:5 has already been talked about but should be looked at again and put into the context of bosses and people of authority. Verse 15:15 is important in gaining knowledge:

Those who have understanding hearts hunger after knowledge,
    but those with no understanding feast on foolishness.

We must learn to understand and not close out every argument. I have spent decades researching evolution and have a much clearer understanding, not because I took evolutionist or creationists word, but looked at both carefully and formed an opinion. Granted it’s not accepted to date by either party, but wait for the “book” to see how it’s received.

We will end with verse 15:16 to understand our quest for riches:

It is better to live with less and honor the Eternal
    than to have riches and carry the burdens that come with them.

Jesus addresses this with the story of the rich man and sums it up with it’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle comparison. We often forget that Jesus ends this “with God all things are possible” meaning it’s difficult but with God it’s possible. This Proverb reminds us that we should be happy with what we have and not struggling for what we want. That often removes our connection with God, since the money and wealth become our idols.